Hundreds of people with multiple myeloma could receive a new,
targeted treatment recommended by NICE today (Tuesday, 29
October).
Just over 700 people in England are eligible to benefit from
elranatamab for multiple myeloma that has returned and stopped
responding to previous treatments, and who have had at least
three lines of other kinds of treatment and whose cancer has
worsened since receiving the last treatment.
Elranatamab, also known as Elrexfio and made by Pfizer, is
recommended in final draft guidance for use in the Cancer Drugs Fund while more
evidence is collected about its effectiveness.
Multiple myeloma is an incurable and progressive cancer that
affects the bone marrow and has a substantial impact on quality
of life and life expectancy.
NICE's independent appraisal committee agreed that additional
weight could be applied to the evaluation of elranatamab in
recognition of the condition's severity.
Clinical trial evidence suggests elranatamab could increase how
long people have before their condition gets worse but further
evidence is needed to show that people live longer with the
treatment.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE,
said: “I am pleased that NICE is continuing to focus on
what matters most and has recommended this targeted treatment
option.
“Multiple myeloma is a difficult to treat, rare and devastating
form of cancer which can be debilitating, painful and has
substantial impact on quality of life.
“There are limited treatment options so I know this drug will be
welcomed by patients. This is the latest treatment NICE has
recommended for multiple myeloma, with three other drugs also
recommended in 2024.
“Its use through the Cancer Drugs Fund will give people access to
this promising new fourth-line treatment while longer-term data
on its use is collected to establish whether it is clinically and
cost effective.”
Elranatamab is a targeted therapy given as an injection under the
skin, either in the abdomen or thigh. It attaches to specific
multiple myeloma cancer cells and the immune system's T-cells,
bringing them together to help the immune system destroy the
cancer cells. It aims to treat the cancer cells without harming
healthy ones.
Elranatamab was previously recommended in draft guidance
with managed access. This was
based on the company demonstrating it was cost-effective
compared with pomalidomide plus dexamethasone, the main
comparable drug at this line of treatment.
However, the company then provided further analysis comparing
elranatamab with two other treatments that might be used in
people who have had pomalidomide plus dexamethasone at the same
stage of treatment. As elranatamab was cost-effective compared
with both these treatments the previous restriction in the
recommendation was no longer required.
Around 5,000 people are diagnosed with multiple myeloma each year
in England.
The company has a confidential commercial arrangement in place
which makes elranatamab available to the NHS with a discount.
In NICE's final draft guidance published today, elranatamab is
recommended for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, in
people who have received at least three lines of treatment,
including an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor, and
an anti-CD38 antibody and whose cancer had progressed since their
last treatment.
Read the full final draft guidance for elranatamab for treating
relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma after three or more
treatments.
